In its second edition in Castilla-La Mancha, DAR has worked with nine women visual artists from the province of Cuenca, the Tajuña River Valley (Guadalajara), and the Júcar River Basin (Albacete).
The presentation event took place on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 PM at the Paleontological Museum of Cuenca.
Established as a platform that promotes artistic talent in rural areas, the DAR project (Dones Artistes Rurals – Rural Women Artists) presented the results of its second edition in Castilla-La Mancha at an event held on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 PM at the Paleontological Museum of Cuenca. During the presentation, the project’s director, Clara Albacete, was joined by the participating artists and several members from the previous edition.
This edition, developed between January and May, included nine women visual artists from the province of Cuenca, the Tajuña River Valley (Guadalajara), and the Júcar River Basin (Albacete). They participated in an intensive program focused on professional training, the promotion of their artistic careers, and the creation of collaborative networks.
During the event, the artists publicly presented their work: Alícia Arcas, Ana Cristina Bonillo, Paula Cuesta Leal, María Fernández de Terán, Davinia Fillol, Paula Hernández, Sara Mellado, Flor Ordoqui, and Pilar Prieto Calvo. They shared their experiences and introduced the three collaborative preliminary projects developed within the program: Landscape with People, Cascaeja – Rural Fanzine, and FAIR (Art Festival of Rural Intelligence).
Additionally, some participants from the first edition in Cuenca and from the Valencian Community attended to share the projects they developed after taking part in DAR, both individually and collectively.
DAR was founded in 2020 in the Valencian Community with the support of the Consorci de Museus de la Comunitat Valenciana in collaboration with the Centre del Carme Cultura Contemporània. This pioneering project began its journey in 2021 and focuses each edition on a different territory. To date, it has held five editions in the Valencian Community and in 2023 expanded into Catalonia with two editions, thanks to European Next Generation funds and the Diputació de Tarragona.
In 2024, DAR began its trajectory as a cultural accelerator in Castilla-La Mancha through the support of European Next Generation funds, launching an edition in the province of Cuenca. It is currently implementing its second edition in Cuenca + Tajuña (GU) + Júcar (AB), and two more editions are scheduled to take place in the region after the summer.
The DAR project has received several recognitions, such as Best Project in 2022 by AVVAC (Visual Artists of València, Alacant and Castelló), and inclusion in La Fábrica’s Observatory of Culture list of best rural cultural projects for 2022, 2023, and 2024. The initiative is also part of the best practice cartographies of “Culture and Ruralities” by the Ministry of Culture, and the National Rural Network of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
“The DAR project focuses on training women visual artists to support their professionalization, and it also encourages the creation of associations. Our work makes sense when we see the results it generates. That’s why we continue to advocate for rural visual artists to have opportunities for professional growth, and for public administrations to get involved in fostering local talent, which in turn contributes to regional economic development,” states Clara Albacete, founder and director of DAR.
